


Kicking Eternity

by cowboykylux



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, F/F, Fem!Armitage, Femlux, Historical Accuracy, Historical References, Love at First Sight, Romance, Wild West AU, fem!Kylo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 08:01:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17956694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowboykylux/pseuds/cowboykylux
Summary: It was hot, Armitage Hux thought with a sigh as she sat in the front pew of her father’s church. Shifting in her seat, her leather boots scraped against the red dust of the earth that had been tracked in from the road just outside the church. It made a sound like sand in the bottom of a gold pan.Armitage hated the sound. She did it again.





	Kicking Eternity

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Kylux Titleception 2019 fic event!!

It was hot, Armitage Hux thought with a sigh as she sat in the front pew of her father’s church. Shifting in her seat, her leather boots scraped against the red dust of the earth that had been tracked in from the road just outside the church. It made a sound like sand in the bottom of a gold pan.

Armitage hated the sound. She did it again.

It was hot, but then again, it was always hot out in the desert. She didn’t know why it was on her mind today.

Ignoring her father’s boring sermon, Armitage instead fancied herself a glance up at the window just behind the pulpit. The sky was a bright powder blue, the same color of her dress, her favorite color.

Blue sky, red dirt – that was Arizona for you, she thought.

She wondered what the day would bring. Something felt different about it, about this Sunday. It couldn’t have been her father, no his ranting about hell and damnation was the same as it ever was. It couldn’t have been the weather either, with not a cloud in the sky. Armitage frowned and looked down at her boots, scraping against the dirt on the floor once more.

She would probably go find Gwen after this was done, ask if she’d like to go for a swim in the river. Gwen always loved a good excuse to swim, and right about now, Armitage was dying to get out of this dusty dry heat.

It wasn’t long before the sermon was over, and the townsfolk filed out of the pews in an orderly fashion. Armitage caught Gwen’s eye with intrigue, but her friend sadly shook her head. Sundays were hit or miss for Gwen, on whether she would have any free time or not. From the sad expression on her face, this Sunday was busy for her, which meant no swimming with Armitage.

Hopes dashed, Armitage collected her things and approached the pulpit.

“Wonderful sermon today, pop.” Armitage lied to her father, Brendol Hux. He didn’t need her to be sincere, he just needed to hear the words.

“It was, wasn’t it?” He replied, bored.

_Pride will get you one day old man,_ Armitage thought to herself while giving him a pacifying smile, _If I don’t get you first._

“You’re free to spend the day however you please.” Brendol waved his hand at his daughter dismissively, not bothering to look at her and instead busying himself with marking the page in his book and picking up a basket of bread from behind the pulpit. “I have to greet the new farmers.”

Armitage was nearly down the aisle when she stopped and turned sharply.

“New farmers?” She asked with great surprise.

“Yes, dairy. Bought a piece of land on the south edge of town.” Brendol walked past her, but she hurried to keep up with his quick pace.

“Can I go with you to meet them?” Armitage nearly demanded, eager to sate her newfound curiosity.

She hoped beyond hope that these farmers had children, perhaps of her own age. The wheels in her head were already turning – suppose these farmers had daughters just like Armitage? Why, she would lay a claim of friendship on them faster than anyone in the town.  

“I don’t see why not.” Brendol agreed, “Can’t hurt to be hospitable, can it?” He asked.

His question fell on deaf ears, as Armitage had already started walking in the direction of the new resident’s home.

 

* * *

 

The home in question was not new to Armitage, or to the town. It had been constructed when the town was founded just five years ago in 1874. Made of the same rich brown wood as all the other houses, and two stories tall, the house had been vacant since last winter when the previous owner, Mr. Tarkin, passed away from diphtheria.

He hadn’t been the only one to pass from the disease, but he _had_ been the only one to pass without somone to inherit the property. So, empty it stood for all of spring, until now.

A Conestoga wagon sat not too far from the house, and Armitage could make out at least two dozen cattle grazing quietly on the grasses within a fenced in area of property that now belonged to the newcomers.

Brendol wasted no time in walking to the door, which was propped open now with a small chair so that the farmers could unpack their belongings from the wagon and bring them into the house. Armitage followed closely behind her father, who knocked on the door, the two of them waiting on the front porch.

“Coming!” A woman’s voice sounded from the interior of the house.

A stout woman with her hair done up in a bun of braids dusted her hands on her skirt as she stepped out onto the porch.

“Mrs. Organa?” Brendol asked, extending a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Father Hux, and this is my daughter, Armitage. We wanted to formally welcome you to the town.” Armitage wanted to wince at how charming her father sounded, knowing it was a lie.

“How very thoughtful of you. If you don’t mind a bit of mess, please do come in out of the sun.” Mrs. Organa gestured for them to go inside, and neither Hux refused her offer.

The interior of the house, or at least this room, was kept much different than Armitage remembered Mr. Tarkin keeping it.

The furniture was certainly nothing that Armitage had ever seen before. Ornately carved chairs and couches with cushions made from silk were positioned in the near center of the main living room, a similarly carved table positioned in the middle of the seating arrangements.

There was a rug on the wooden floor, that was a dark red color and had accents of gold and purple in embroidered flowers all throughout it. Portrait paintings and small mirrors were hung upon the walls, and a small wooden table or two were placed right underneath the windowsill to let light catch on the silver of empty flower vases.

The windows themselves were open to let in some air, or maybe to let out some of the stuffiness of having been abandoned for so long, Armitage didn’t know which. Thin linen curtains fluttered gently in the slight breeze, and Armitage could very well envision a cat stretched out along the ‘sill, soaking up the sunshine.

Almost as if summoned, a large cat with a small bell tied around her neck leapt onto the couch where Armitage and her father now sat, and immediately began purring, nudging her head under Armitage’s hand for pets. She was white with orange and black patches, a beautiful calico.

“I am so sorry about BB!” Mrs. Organa began to fret, but Armitage shook her head immediately.

“Please don’t be! I adore cats, I’ve got one of my own called Millicent.” She assured Mrs. Organa. Brendol didn’t look so fond of the creature, but then again, Brendol never looked fond of anything.

“I’ll go get Han, Bennie and Rey, they’re just out in the wagon getting some more of our things.” Mrs. Organa smiled warmly, leaving to go collect her family.

Armitage frowned. _Bennie and Rey?_ _Sons then_ , Armitage thought. She had very little interest in spending her time with sons.

Oh but _these_ were _not_ sons that stepped into the house, no not at all. It seemed Mr. and Mrs. Organa had the same penchant for naming their daughters masculine names that Brendol did, much to Armitage’s surprise.

A young girl of no more than nineteen bounded into the room, her chestnut hair pinned up and secured with a ribbon. She wore a white dress and black boots and smiled brightly at Armitage, who was altogether more impressed with the girls’ sister, who stayed behind in the doorway.

She was tall, and her shoulders were broad. She looked more muscular than half the men in the town, and she could probably lift Armitage like a sack of potatoes. This woman made Armitage’s chest seize, and for a dreadful moment she really thought she was going to have a heart attack. A spike of panic shot through her – is this how she died? Just by being looked in the eyes by a beautiful woman?

“Han Organa, pleasure to meet you.” A man came into the room, gently pushing the girl out of the doorway in a gesture that suggested maybe she was shy. He shook hands with Brendol, and Armitage stood, shaking his hand as well. “These are my daughters, my youngest Rey, and my eldest Bennie.”

Bennie, Armitage thought, was a gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl like this. Hair so dark it might have been black, had the sun not been shining directly onto it. She wore her long hair down, free of any pins or braids – unusual for hair of that length. It waved and curled slightly, hugging her cheeks and covering her ears.

She wore a dark green dress that was pleated in all the right places – Armitage wondered if a favorite color could change.

“I’m Armitage.” She introduced herself before her father could do the proper thing and introduce her himself. His disapproving glance did not go unnoticed, but she refused to break eye contact with her new friend.

“Hello.” Bennie replied, her voice deep. Armitage’s heart thudded loudly in her chest, could Bennie hear it?

“Mr. Organa, it looks like our daughters may be close in age.” Brendol said, trying to get a hold on the conversation.

“Bennie will be twenty-four this October, and Rey will be twenty soon after.” Mr. Organa nodded happily, and Armitage did her best not to noticeably grow more interested.

“My suspicions were correct, my Armitage just turned twenty-four this past Wednesday.” Brendol said, very satisfied with himself.

“Pop – ” Armitage began to protest, her cheeks turning scarlet from embarrassment. It wasn’t proper to go about announcing people’s ages, that of women, no less.

Old fashioned values might have scoffed at Armitage’s lack of a husband by an age such as hers, but the Organas instead smiled warmly.

“A belated happy birthday to you.” Bennie said, her own cheeks turning pink. Armitage tried desperately not to read into the light flush upon her face, and turned her own face away so not to be caught staring by any of the numerous people in the room.

“We’ve brought you something.” Brendol cleared his throat, presenting the covered basket of bread that he had been carrying. “Armitage works with the baker’s daughter, Gwendoline. I had some loaves made specially for you and your family.”

Mrs. Organa gracefully took the basket and uncovered the loaves. Armitage hadn’t been aware that the order was made special for the new folk, but it made sense – she had been wondering why her father ordered three times the amount of rolls as usual.

“That’s mighty kind of you, thank you.” Mrs. Organa beamed, pulling out a large round loaf of sourdough and giving it a light squeeze. “My, this bread is softer than the clouds, I reckon.” She handed the basket to Rey, who immediately went through one of the side doors to go to what Armitage could only assume was their kitchen.

“I wish we could stay and help you unpack but we’ve got to be on our way.” Brendol said apologetically, but Mrs. Organa shook her head happily.

“Oh that’s quite alright! Bennie here is strong, she’s more than capable of helping her pa bring in the rest of our things, isn’t that right?” She asked her eldest daughter.

“Ma…” Bennie replied, her turn to be embarrassed by one of her parents.

“It was lovely meeting y’all.” Armitage offered, “Maybe when you’re done here I can show you and your sister around, introduce you to the other folk our age?”

She hoped they would say yes, wanting any excuse to learn more about this mysterious woman.

“I don’t know, that looks like it’s going to take all day to set up.” Bennie sighed, genuinely saddened to have to say no.

“Tomorrow then?” Armitage asked, not willing to give up so easily.

“I’d like that.” Bennie smiled, and Armitage felt like she owned all the gold in the world in that moment.

 

Brendol had gone ahead and began his walk back to the church, where he was most likely going to drink himself into a mid-afternoon nap. Armitage was in no hurry to follow him, so she lazily walked away from the farmhouse and thought about how she would spend the rest of her day.

Her stomach rumbled, maybe she would go to the saloon and grab a bite to eat. If Rose and Jessika were there, she might even fancy herself a game of cards or two. 

“Armitage! Wait!” She heard her name and stopped, frowning for a moment until she realized it was Bennie, lazily jogging after her.

She came to a halt, not a hair out of place or even slightly out of breath, in front of Armitage.

“Yes?” She asked, wholly unprepared for another conversation so soon.

“Here.” Bennie reached into her pocket and pulled out a powder blue strip of silk, extending a hand out to Armitage to take it.

“What’s this?” She asked, regretting the question. She knew what it was, but not why she was being given it.

“A ribbon. You can wear it how you’d like.” Bennie said simply, with a smile.

Armitage held it up to inspect it, the silk was brand new and clean, the blue bright.

“It matches my dress.” Armitage smiled, thinking a funny coincidence of it.

“I thought you might like to have it because of that.” Bennie nodded, “I picked it up in Paris, but I don’t have much occasion to wear ribbons.” She mentioned casually.

“Seems like a waste of a purchase.” Armitage couldn’t help but say. Why buy ribbons if you don’t wear ribbons?

“Not if I give it to you, it doesn’t.” Bennie replied, in such a soft manner that Armitage thought she might have imagined it.

The two exchanged glances, and without any further ado, Armitage tied her shoulder-length copper hair up in the ribbon, fashioning the knot into a bow, the long silk tails tickling her shoulders as the breeze kicked up slightly.

Bennie watched the movement with eyes like a hawk, and Armitage couldn’t help but feel slightly exposed. She didn’t shy away from the feeling, finding it just on the side of thrilling.

“Will you meet me tomorrow?” She asked, and Bennie nodded quickly.

“Where?” Bennie asked in return, making Armitage smile.

“The church, just after dawn. It’s not so hot then.” She decided, making Bennie smile back.

“I’ll see you then.” Bennie gave her a parting nod, and began jogging back to her farm, Armitage watching her go all the while.

* * *

 

Armitage had trouble falling asleep that night. She tossed and turned in bed, restless.

Clad only in her chemise, she felt like she was sweating, burning up under the covers of her bed. Fully giving up on sleep, she sat up and turned to her window. There, across the street was the Organa house. There was a light on in the window, was it Bennie’s? Armitage wished she knew.

At the thought of the beautiful farmer, Armitage’s brow began to sweat once more. It was ridiculous, she thought, that she couldn’t get a hold of her emotions. She was never going to impress the woman if she had black circles under her eyes from lack of sleep -- how improper, how _sacrilegious_ , would it be to find a solution to this problem?

Her hands shook with need as they ran down the front of her chemise, rucking up the white cotton to expose her waist to the moonlit room. She didn’t dare make a sound as she began to touch herself, her legs spreading as her fingers dipped into her own heat. She bit down on her palm to muffle even her breathing, which was growing heavier and heavier with each passing moment.

She wished it were Bennie touching her like this, Bennie’s big hands grasping at her waist, her breasts. These were traitorous thoughts, but they only made Armitage move faster, her hips twitching as she thought about Bennie’s plush lips kissing her and sucking at her skin.

She didn’t last very long, but with how worked up she was, she didn’t care. Armitage was simply glad to have sated her desires, at least for the moment. Her mind was more at ease, and she began to drift to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Bennie valued punctuality, Armitage discovered as the farmer approached the front porch of the church the instant the sun decided to show itself, peeking just barely over the high canyons that surrounded their little town.

She was wearing a dark red dress today, the color of blood and brimstone and wasn’t that just fitting? Armitage herself wore white, it felt like all her dresses were white. She wore the ribbon in her hair still, only having taken it off when she had brushed her hair that morning.

“You’re right on time.” Armitage smiled, trying to come off as flirtatious as possible.

“I’m a woman of my word.” Bennie smirked, offering Armitage an arm.

Armitage hooked her arm through Bennie’s, and the two of them began the short walk down the road to the main roadway, the sun making the sky all kinds of pink and purple.

“Is Rey not going to join?” Armitage asked, hoping that the younger Organa sister wouldn’t be a third-wheel.

“No, she’s got to help pa with the cattle.” Bennie replied with a knowing smile, much to her relief.

“I’m surprised that’s not your job,” Armitage admitted, tapping Bennie’s bicep with a well-manicured finger. “With muscles like those.”

Bennie laughed, and the chuckle resonated deep, deep down in Armitage’s bones. She wanted to make Bennie laugh all the time.

“I wrangle them when they get out of hand.” Bennie shrugged, “But for the most part, Rey does better with the animals than I do. I’m more of a mechanic, personally.”

“You mean like fixing wagons?” Armitage asked with wide eyes.

She had never met a woman who knew how to work the machines, always having been considered a man’s job. It was bullshit thinking, but that’s the way things tended to work around those parts. Armitage was impressed, not for the first time, with her new friend and growing – dare she think the word -- crush.

“I can fix just about anything.” Bennie replied proudly, “Picked up the habit from my grand-pop.”

Armitage hummed, keeping that in the back of her mind. She was absolutely not above purposefully breaking things in the church if it meant Bennie would come round to fix them. The more she thought about it, there were already things at the church that needed some lovin’ – squeaky doors, wobbly pews – but most of all herself.

They walked arm in arm until they reached the very end of the road, where they could get the best view of the small town laid out before them.

“Well, here’s the start of town.” Armitage sighed, feeling kind of pathetic about her home. “It’s not much, there’s the saloon where most everyone spends their free time if they’re not working.”

She pointed to a big white building that was quiet for once in its life. Normally it was bustling with noise and activity, people getting into fights and singing songs, there seemed to be no time to rest at the saloon. Armitage figured everyone was probably passed out on the bartop, or up sleeping with the women they managed to get for the night.

“You go there often?” Bennie asked, and Armitage smiled – she had had her own bit of fun with the women upstairs, but she knew it was too risky to say so.

“I play a mean hand of cards.” She said instead, but Bennie seemed to know what she meant anyway.

“I’d like to see that one day.” Bennie hummed, and then it was Armitage’s turn to blush.

After a moment or two of tension, Armitage realized she needed to get this woman alone outside of prying eyes. She turned to the road again, and pointed out the buildings that Bennie might need to know.

“There’s the inn, the bank, the butcher’s, and the railroad station of course.” She identified them all, “Hmm what else…”

“This is a pretty small town, huh?” Bennie asked, not unkindly.

“I bet it must seem miniscule, compared to the big cities you’ve been too.” Armitage laughed, embarrassed.

“I’ve not been to too many, ma brought me along on some of her traveling. She worked as an ambassador for the country when I was little.” Bennie said with a shrug, “She always wanted to retire and settle down somewhere, not having to travel so much.”

“What made y’all pick this place to settle?” Armitage frowned. If Mrs. Organa was an ambassador certainly she had to have money – why this rinky dink town?

“Mr. Tarkin was a good friend of my grand-pop’s, he left our family the house in his will.” Bennie answered, making Armitage’ eyebrows shoot up.

“No kidding?” She exclaimed, “And here we thought he had no one.”

Bennie shrugged with a smile, and Armitage couldn’t help but smile back.

She surveyed the town once more, when suddenly an idea hit her like a meteor.

“Have you ever been to a bathhouse?” She asked, trying her best to be cool as the juice of a saguaro.

“No, we tin-wash at home.” Bennie replied with a little frown, confused.

“Me too, but I like to get a good soak about once a week.” Armitage said, grinning up at her. “I’m fixing to pay it a visit today, care to join me?”

“I don’t see why not.” Bennie beamed back, making Armitage feel like she had just robbed a bank and gotten away with all the cash.

 

They greeted the early morning risers as they made their way down to the bathhouse, Armitage introducing Bennie to everyone. They all seemed immediately intimidated by her, which gave Armitage a funny satisfaction. It wasn’t easy to intimidate cowboys, but Bennie’s big presence seemed to do the trick. Armitage loved hanging off of her arm, it was like it was meant to be.

They got to the bathhouse just as the steam was starting to waft up through the little vents in the ceiling. The innkeeper knew Armitage well, she did come in once a week after all, but she didn’t know Bennie, so Armitage introduced her once again.

“First water please.” She told the innkeeper, “We’ll be sharing it.”

Bennie waited for a reprimand, a scolding, a shout saying two women couldn’t share a bath, but it never came. She supposed water was just too precious out here to waste.

“Here, I’ll pay.” Bennie said, pulling out her coinpurse.

“Hot or cold?” The innkeeper asked, as Armitage looked at Bennie in shock. No one had ever paid for her for anything.

“Hot please, and soap.” Bennie said, reading the little sign of services and sliding the twenty-five cents over the counter.

Armitage was stunned, she had _never_ had hot water before. If the innkeeper had thoughts about that, she didn’t voice them, instead beckoning her and Bennie to come through the double doors.

Armitage and Bennie followed the inn-keeper down the little hallway and around a corner, where she opened a door and stepped aside.

“You can have it for as long as you’d like, no one comes in on Mondays.” The inn-keeper said with a smile as she left.

Armitage thanked the woman, who closed the door behind her once she was fully out of the room.

It was quiet, in the room. Quiet in a peaceful kind of way. They were probably the only people in the whole bathhouse, save for the innkeeper and maybe an assistant.

Without any room for thinking, Armitage began unbuttoning her dress. She could feel Bennie’s eyes on her, and she preened at the attention, not bothering to turn away.

One by one, the buttons came undone, until the fabric slipped off her figure and piled onto the floor. Armitage untied the white ribbons of her petticoat, and let that fall too. With each layer that was shed, Armitage felt more and more alive, the knowledge that Bennie was watching from just a few feet away thrilling her.

And _boy_ was Bennie watching.

She had frozen on the way to undo one of her own buttons, her gaze locked on Armitage’s pale, freckled skin as it came into view. She looked like a present being unwrapped, just for Bennie to consume. The thought made Bennie blush bright red, all the way to the tips of her ears. _Surely_ Armitage knew, surely she must have been obvious enough about her proclivity for women. But still, she didn’t want to overstep, didn’t want to make Armitage uncomfortable, so she forced her hands to be as casual as they could as she undid the clasps of her own dress.

Eventually, Armitage stepped out of the big pile of clothing on the floor, naked as the day she was born, save for the ribbon that tied up her hair, and tried her best to gracefully step into the big tub of steaming hot water. Bennie’s eyes went wide as dinner plates when presented with Armitage’s cute ass, bending over into the tub. She counted her blessings that Armitage wasn’t facing her to see how she stared.

The water sloshed a little as Armitage sat herself down, but once the scalding water had a chance to heat her skin, she leaned back against the edge of the tub, and regarded Bennie with curious eyes.

“Can’t bathe in your dress.” Armitage teased, when Bennie had stopped after only taking off her outer dress.

“Who says I can’t wash both me and my clothes?” Bennie quipped, giving a smirk.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy.” Armitage rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and Bennie laughed out loud at that.

“Would you believe me if I said I was?” She asked, Armitage splashing her with a little bit of water in response.

Willing her hands not to shake, Bennie too undid her many layers until she was bare before Armitage, who eyed her appreciatively. She was exactly as ripped as Armitage had hoped, her strong arms met broad shoulders, and her stomach was well toned with prominent abs. Her thighs though…Armitage was sure she could kill a man with those thighs.

Her breasts looked like the perfect size for squeezing, and Armitage had a moment of self-consciousness about her own chest, which was a little smaller than Bennie’s. But if Bennie’s heated gaze was anything to go by, she didn’t think it was too big of an issue.

Bennie stepped into the tub, and Armitage smiled as she sidled right up to her under the water.

“Wash my hair?” Armitage asked, making a show of pulling the ribbon out of her hair, tying it around her neck in a pretty little bow.

Armitage tipping her head back into the water to wet her hair. Bennie thought she looked like one of the paintings of a nymph she had seen at the Louvre, her hair a much darker shade of red now that it was sopping.

“You don’t know how to say please?” Bennie teased, reaching for the shampoo anyway.

“Oh I know how to say it alright.” Armitage replied, “If you’re lucky maybe you’ll get to hear it.”

Bennie tried not to choke on the sentiment and lathered up Armitage’s hair. She reveled in the slide of the locks through her fingers. Armitage seemed to melt under her ministrations, and Bennie licked her lips at the way she sighed. It felt good to know she was doing a good job – she wanted to keep doing good for Armitage.  

“What does a girl have to do to get lucky?” Bennie asked, making Armitage laugh.

“Keep the soap from getting in my eyes.” She said with a smile.

“That’s all?” Bennie quirked an eyebrow, and Armitage pulled away just a bit so that she could dunk her hair back under water.

She helped get the suds out, and when Armitage turned around to face her, they were barely inches away from kissing distance. It was starting to get to be too much for Bennie.

“For you, yeah.” Armitage said.

“You’re beautiful.” Bennie finally just said it, took the plunge around all the flirting, all the teasing, and outright said it.

“You’re magnificent.” Armitage replied, making Bennie blush bright red. No one ever called her such a thing. “I’ve never seen a woman like you before.”

“Have you seen many women?” Bennie asked, suddenly jealous.

Armitage grinned at the flash on Bennie’s face, and wrapped her arms around Bennie’s shoulders. Where her inky black hair met the water, Armitage thought she had to be some kind of dream, melting right into the bath.

“Not as many as I would like.” Armitage admitted, “And definitely none I’d like as much as you.”

Bennie licked her lips, staring at Armitage’s mouth.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked, wanting to be absolutely sure this was okay before she fell headfirst into something she would never be able to get out of.

“If you start, I won’t want you to stop.” Armitage said softly, no teasing about it.

“Who said anything about stopping?” Bennie asked, leaning in.

When they kissed it was electric – like the first blast of a train whistle, the thundering sky, the rolling ocean. It was like being up on a mountain, deep in a canyon, all alone in a field of flowers, surrounded by everything and nothingness all at once. Kissing Armitage was sublime, in every sense of the word.

Armitage was in awe of Bennie’s mouth, her lips, her tongue. She moaned softly into Bennie’s embrace, soapy sudsy hands running all along her back. It was magnificent, the way she rubbed little circles into Armitage’s hips – divine the way she sucked along her neck.

They were lost in one another, lost in each other’s bodies as they licked and teased and pinched and laughed. For the first time in a long time, Armitage felt whole again, like she had found something precious she had been missing. Bennie felt her world narrow down to just this moment, just this place, this tub.

She never wanted to leave, wanted to stay there in that hot hot bathtub, letting the warm water pink up her skin and Armitage’s, the red bringing out her freckles even more than when she had stood in the sun yesterday on Bennie’s front porch.

God, had that only been yesterday? Bennie felt silly, silly for falling so hard so fast. Did it matter? Would they chew each other up and spit one another out, or would they stay together forever? Did that matter? Bennie didn’t know.

What she did know, was that it felt like she had been kicking eternity around like a rock on a dusty road, waiting, wandering aimless, and now she felt like she had come home, in Armitage’s arms.

 

* * *

 

Later, much later, when the water cooled and their fingers turned into raisins, they still lingered in the tub. They were panting, out of breath, having to stop themselves from coming in the water and completely ruining it for anyone else. That would have to be done later, in a bed, Bennie was determined. It didn’t matter, it was enough to kiss and touch and tease, they’d get off soon enough.

Bennie was leaned back against the edge of the tub, and Armitage was resting her head on her shoulder.

“Do you think you’ll stay?” Armitage asked, not minding the vulnerability in her voice. “In town, I mean.”

“As long as the land is good, I don’t see a reason why we wouldn’t.” Bennie replied softly, holding Armitage’s hand under the water.

“Good.” Armitage grinned, “I don’t think I’d be able to suffer through this town without you.”

“It can’t be all that bad – you’re here after all.” Bennie replied, and Armitage looked up at her from her spot on Bennie’s shoulder.

 

There would be time for everything later, Armitage thought. For now, it was enough to be laying in the tub with Bennie, enough to know that she had found someone who seemed as interested in Armitage as she was with Bennie. They had forever to figure out the likes and dislikes, the ups and the downs, the families and the friends. If nothing else, they always had this bathhouse, in this tiny town. And for once, Armitage thought that she didn’t need anything more.

Something in Bennie’s eyes told Armitage that she felt the same.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it!!! Please feel free to comment, or message me over on @babbushka on tumblr if you have any questions or comments about the fic! This was so fun to write -- i think this is my first kylux fic of 2019?? What a way to start off!! Lol !


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